The Province has started work in the Bella Coola valley and Tweedsmuir Provincial Park to restore roads and bridges washed out in recent years by major storm systems and severe flooding.

The Province will consult with First Nations and residents of the Columbia River Basin to ensure regional interests help shape the future of the Columbia River Treaty.

The Province is increasing compliance and enforcement patrols by about 30 per cent over the Victoria Day long weekend to ensure visitors to BC Parks and the backcountry have a safe holiday.

Effective at 12 noon on Saturday, May 19, Category 2 open fires and fireworks will be prohibited in most of the Prince George Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and BC Timber Sales are planning to conduct a 45-hectare prescribed burn near Topley over the next month to reduce the risk of wildfire and help maintain local ecosystems.

Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson applauded today's decision of the Legislative Assembly to form a Special Committee on Timber Supply to examine and make recommendations about mid-term timber supply in British Columbia, as a result of the mountain pine beetle infestation.

Local residents and school children were on hand to celebrate the release of 14,000 juvenile trout into Moberly Lake. The release of the trout is part of a six-year project to recover lake trout in Moberly Lake.

Effective at noon May 18, Category 2 open fires and fireworks will be prohibited across the Coastal Fire Centre, with the exception of Haida Gwaii and the Mount Waddington and Central Coast regional districts, to help prevent human-caused wildfires.